Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:05:36 -0800
Reply-To: Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: As nice as, but better?
In-Reply-To: <45E3A368.40801@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
MasterCraft Motors will definitely do your Subaru conversion.
Folks on the SubaruVanagon List are very compimentary about their work.
http://www.mastercraftmotors.com/subaru.nxg
There is also an ex-Kennedy Engineering employee who is doing conversions.
You could find out more by joining the SubaruVanagon List, as Robert
recently has done.
I wouldn't tow something as heavy as a Forester behind a Vanagon for many
reasons, the brakes being primary, but a small trailer with a couple of
small motorbikes should be do-able.
Jake
On 2/26/07, Michael Elliott <camping.elliott@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Robert, that's a very interesting idea. I have no - zero - interest in
> doing a subie conversion, but if there is a shop in Southern California
> that does good work, I'd look into it. I can't tell from KEP's website
> if they do the work.
>
> So, I wonder how happy a subie-powered 84 Westy with an automatic
> transmission would be hauling some small putt-putt vehicle?
>
> --
> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
> KG6RCR
>
>
>
> Robert Fisher typed:
> > It just occurred to me that if you already have that Forester (assuming
> > it would do well as a toad- I think modern autos tow better than older
> > ones), probably the simplest solution is to do something like a Subie
> > conversion to the Westy and tow the Forester. There's a whole bunch of
> > Subie converts around here that'd mentor that project and in fact KEP is
> > in Lancaster/Palmdale.
> >
> > Cya,
> > Robert
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Elliott"
> > <camping.elliott@gmail.com>
> > To: "Robert Fisher" <refisher@mchsi.com>
> > Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 5:33 PM
> > Subject: Re: As nice as, but better?
> >
> >
> >> Hi Robert,
> >>
> >> What an interesting idea! I wonder how well an automatic transmission
> >> Vanagon tows?
> >>
> >> --
> >> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> >> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
> >> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> >> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
> >> KG6RCR
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Robert Fisher typed:
> >>> Well this may sound kind of strange but that never stopped me before.
> >>> I think if I were considering all of those circumstances I'd get one
> >>> of the stronger mid-sized pickups or SUVs and put a tow bar on the
> >>> Westy. The Westy serves as the trailer, the reliabilty issue is less
> >>> of an issue, you get less miles on the Westy, more storage space, you
> >>> get to disconnect and run around and if one or the other breaks down
> >>> you have a tow vehicle. You can also still fit into most of the
> >>> places you would have gone with the Westy alone. Depending on the
> >>> vehicle you chose you might even get close to the same milage as you
> >>> would in the Westy, even with it as a toad.
> >>> You also have the option of parking the tow vehicle and making
> >>> shorter trips in the Westy; for instance say you went to the Grand
> >>> Canyon and wanted to camp in various places nearby for a night each
> >>> or so- you park the truck/suv in the park and take the Westy to the
> >>> campground. Aside from that anybody can use a good pickup. :)
> >>> Anyway that's probably what I'd do.
> >>>
> >>> Cya,
> >>> Robert
> >>>
> >>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Elliott"
> >>> <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
> >>> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> >>> Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 3:52 PM
> >>> Subject: As nice as, but better?
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> Mrs Squirrel and I are tossing around ideas for fulltiming, or at
> least
> >>>> long-terming. We love Mellow Yellow, we love its floorplan, we love
> its
> >>>> 360-degree views. We don't love its reliability vis a vis a newer
> >>>> vehicle, and while van camping is nearly ideal, because it lets us
> >>>> visit
> >>>> places too out of the way for the "generator people," a van makes a
> >>>> quick trip into town for a bottle of aspirin, a restaurant dinner, or
> a
> >>>> movie more difficult than a trailer because you can't just drive away
> >>>> from camp without some tear down and setup.
> >>>>
> >>>> So while a small trailer is another option, with a husky little
> vehicle
> >>>> like a Subaru Forester, the eentsier campgrounds might be harder to
> get
> >>>> into, and none of the trailers we've seen (Casita, Scamp, T@B,
> >>>> [Airstreams are too heavy]) have the tidy and sensible floorplan
> >>>> that we
> >>>> love about our Westy, nor do they have anywhere the window space. I
> >>>> expect that just about everyone on this group knows what we're
> talking
> >>>> about. It's all about finding the right balance of compromises for
> the
> >>>> individual camping style.
> >>>>
> >>>> Mrs Squirrel asked me to write this group, figuring that there may be
> >>>> some folks here that have seen alternatives that they've found to be
> >>>> nearly as good. Main things: more reliable and windows, maybe all
> this
> >>>> in small trailer format.
> >>>>
> >>>> While this thread isn't one that I'd like to see take up much
> bandwidth
> >>>> on the Vanagon list, but the list membership are nevertheless the
> ideal
> >>>> folk to ask this question of, so if anyone has thoughts, please
> p-mail
> >>>> me. Mrs Squirrel will receive a copy of anything you send, for her
> >>>> consideration.
> >>>>
> >>>> --
> >>>> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> >>>> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
> >>>> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> >>>> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
> >>>> KG6RCR
> >>>
> >
>
--
Jake
1984 Vanagon GL
1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
| 
